NEW
PHILADELPHIA, the county seat of Tuscarawas
County, is a beautiful, quiet little city of 3,500
people, situated on the spreading plains above the
Tuscarawas River, in the western part of Goshen
Township. Its streets are brad, level and
finely shaded; its lots are large and are generally
occupied by spacious residences and cozy cottages,
which gives an air of comfort and plenty to the
place and bespeak the thrift and prosperity of the
inhabitants; its public buildings would be
creditable structures to any county of the State.
The newly-built court house, overlooking the center
of trade and traffic, is a model of solid and
imposing workmanship. The schoolhouse, located
in a retired part of the town, is ample in size and
conveniences to accommodate the pupils of the
growing population for many years to come. The
city hall, churches are industrial buildings
scattered in various portions of the county seat are
further indices of wealth and prosperity.
The village was laid out in 1804, and its proprietor,
John Knisely, from the systematic structure
and size of its plat at that time, evidently
expected it to become an important city. Four
years later, upon the erection of Tuscarawas County,
New Philadelphia was selected as its county seat by
a committee appointed for this purpose by the State
Legislature. The early records of the county
show that Elijah Wadsworth and Eli Baldwin,
received $32 from the county for locating the seat
of justice. Dover, which was laid out in 1807,
contested unavailingly for the prize. The
growth of New Philadelphia has been commensurate
with the progress of the county. Its
population, as given in as many of the census
reports as are now accessible, has been as follows:
In 1820, 236; in 1840, 531; in 1850, 1,414; in 1860,
2,360; in 1870, 3,143; in 1880, 3,070. The
apparent decrease during the last decade is not
real, for i 1870 the population of Lockport,
amounting to several hundred, was included in the
returns of New Philadelphia, while in 1880 it was
enumerated separately.
The first settlement in the county seat, occurring
nearly eighty years ago, is involved in some
obscurity. When laid out, the site of the
village was
covered with brush and trees, and the lots and
streets indicated only by small stakes.
Broadway and High streets were first cleared, adn
for years were the only thoroughfares. One log
cabin rose slowly after another as time rolled on,
and were gradually displaced by larger and more
substantial dwellings. Mr. Knisely, the
proprietor, did not build him a cabin within the
limits of the town, but dwelt a short distance east
of it. John Hull, who accompanied
Knisely from Pennsylvania, is said to have built
the first house in New Philadelphia; he remained a
resident but a short time.
In the spring of 1808, the population of the town
consisted of four families. Peter Cribbs
had built his cabin and potter-kiln on the east side
of Broadway, between Front and High, and
conducted the pottery business there for many years.
George Leininger had erected a large, rude
cabin, which he used as a tavern, on the southwest
corner of Broadway and Front streets.
Christian Stout lived in a house on Water
street, and followed carpentering. He came
from Washington County, Penn., and his son Joseph
is said to have been the first child born
in New Philadelphia. The year of his birth was
1807. Henry Laffer was also here.
He was a Pennsylvanian, had assisted in surveying
the lands of Ohio, and in 1809 opened a tavern at
his dwelling house in New Philadelphia and kept it
for several years. He was Sheriff of the
county from 1810 to 1813, and soon after founded
Sandyville, and removed thither.
In May, 1808, a party of five persons, consisting of
David Fiscus, old Mr. Geiger and son,
DAniel Williams and Peter Williams
started afoot from Greensburg, Westmoreland Co.,
Penn.,. with New Philadelphia as their objective
point. A few days' traveling along indistinct
trails or paths blazed by the woodman's ax, brought
them to their destination. John Knisely
lived on his farm adjoining the town on the east,
across Beaver Dam, and his house was the
stopping-place of all new-comers. After
resting from their tiresome journey, the party was
conducted by Mr. Knisely to the town.
Reaching the forks of the road at the east and,
where now the roads to New Cumberland and Cadiz
separate, he told them that they were now in town,
but only an expanse of bushes and small trees met
their vision. At what is now High street, a
mere foot-path wound along, and around the bushes
and saplings to the next square, where the
enthusiastic proprietor informed them the court
house was destined to be built. A few trees
had been cleared from the square, and Broadway,
crossing it, was the only street that was partially
cleared.
Several days later, Gabriel Cryder arrived with
several teams, on his way to settle in what is now
Dover Township. Besides his household effects,
he had an assortment of goods which he had received
in exchange for a house and lot in Pennsylvania.
Having no house or barn yet erected, and finding no
room at the village where he could store them,
Mr. Cryder was desirous of selling the goods.
The settlers in and about New Philadelphia were
anxious to have a store started here, Gnadenhutten
being then the nearest trading point, but there was
no one to buy them. When the Greensburg party
were making preparations to return, Mr. Cryder
was informed that Peter Williams had clerked
for several years in a store. Cryder was
informed that Peter Williams had clerked for
several years in a store. Cryder and
several others urged young Williams, who was
then but sixteen years of age, to purchase the
stock. He possessed no means, but two men
agreed to become his security for the amount, and
Williams was induced to remain. One of the
men afterward declined to assume the responsibility,
and the goods were given to the lad for his own
notes. Peter Cribbs offered half his
little cabin, and in it a store room was rudely
fitted up. The goods were rapidly sold, and
replenished, and the first mercantile venture thus
resulted in the establishment of a store which was
carried on successfully for many years.
After the seat of justice was established, a steady
stream of emigration commenced. George
Leininger, the first tavern keeper, took out a
license for that purpose in 1808. He died soon
after, and his widow, Margaret Leininger,
carried on the business for many yeas at the old
stand, the southwest corner of Broadway and Front.
It was here that the first courts were held, and in
the year 1808, Leininger's tavern was,
doubtless, the most important and widest known
locality in the county. Abraham Shane
opened a tavern in 1809. He raised two or
three companies and served as an officer in the war
of 1812. He was a prominent pioneer, and
filled various public positions. He shipped
flour and other articles by raft down the Tuscarawas
River and thence to New Orleans. He removed
from the county seat to Dover, where he died in
1851. William Albert, in 1814,
succeeded Henry Laffer at the latter's tavern
stand, which occupied Lot 205, High street, the site
of Mathias & McFarland's store. He was
a son of Jacob Albert, an early settler of
this township, and continued tavern-keeping about a
score of years. He died in 1837.
Samuel Shull, in 1812 and 1813, paid license to
keep a tavern at New Philadelphia; Daniel Hummel,
in 1813, and Christian Stout, in 1814, and
subsequent years. George Gray commenced
in 1816. Mr. Hummel came from
Chambersburg, in 1811, was a wheelwright and
chair-maker and followed his trade two years,
when he began keeping tavern at Leininger's
place.
John and Alexander McConnell opened a store at
New Philadelphia about 1810, and continued it for
several years. Alexander worked awhile
at tailoring, and during the war of 1812 he raised a
squad of cavalry, which, however, did not get into
action. He was afterward a popular Justice of
Dover, where he died in 1839.
Among other early settlers of the village were
Christian Espich, George W. Canfield, Jacob
Blickensderfer, Philip Itzkin, the Peppers,
Samuel Stough and George Sluthour. Mr.
Canfield hailed from New Jersey, and reached New
Philadelphia about 1814. He was appointed
County Clerk in 1818, and died in office in 1826.
Jacob Blickensderfer was among the most
prominent pioneers. About 1812, he came from
Lancaster County, Penn.; was County Commissioner
from 1816 to 1819; Associate Judge from 1829 to
1836, and from 1850 to 1852; County Auditor from
1818 to 1820, and filled various other high and
important offices. He labored actively and
earnestly to secure the Ohio Canal through the
valley, and was always foremost in matters of public
improvement. He was highly educated and
possessed superior mathematical abilities. He
removed to Dover, where for many year he was Toll
Collector on the canal. Philip Itzkin
came from Philadelphia, and died not many years
later. George Sluthour came from
Pennsylvania about 1811, and at once engaged in the
carpenter trade. He constructed a great many
early dwellings at the county seat. Samuel,
Albert, Joshua and John Pepper, brothers,
and brick-layers, came from Cadiz, and built most of
the early brick structures in New Philadelphia.
On the pages of the Tuscarawas Chronicle, for
the year 1821, advertisements of the following New
Philadelphia merchants and business men are found:
Dr. Orange Ranney "acquaints the public that
he has removed to the office formerly occupied by
Wright Warner, Esq., opposite William Albert's
tavern. He has also just received and now
offers for sale a general assortment of drugs and
medicines," many of which he enumerates, and has
also "the following highly celebrated patent
medicines: Bateman's Drops, Godfrey's Cordial,
Anderson's Pills, Itch Ointment (warranted genuine),
Golden Tincture, British Oil, Balsam de Malta,
Harlem Oil, Lee's Antibilious Pills."
J. Johnson advertises a general assortment of
merchandise, including dry goods, "Ironmongery,"
cutlery, groceries, liquors, drugs, etc. He
offers to receive tallow at his store in payment of
debts or for goods. John White gives
notice that he has commenced the gun-making and
repairing business, and hopes to merit encouragement
and support. "Coffee mills sharpened and
repaired." H. Williams informs the
public that he continues to carry on his business as
chair-maker in his new house on High street.
He has just "purchased the patent right of a newly
invented spinning-wheel, and made a number on the
new plan, which has been highly approved of by those
who purchased them." Samuel J. Bowlby
states that he has commenced the business of
book-binding in New Philadelphia, and that, "having
tools for binding in all its various branches, he
will bind books either in ornamental or plain form."
He offers for sale a variety of German books, and
will take country produce in part payment.
Michael Ream commences tailoring in the house
opposite Mr. Gray's tavern, "where all orders
in the line of his profession will be thankfully
received and punctually attended to. To suit
the hardness of the times, he has determined to do
work at the following reduced prices:
Superfine coats, at $3 to $3.50; superfine vests or
pantaloons, 75 cents; coarse coats, $1.50 to $2;
coarse vests or pantaloons, 62½
cents." William Neeriemer tailor, also
requests the patronage of the public, and offers to
do work at reduced prices. He states that he
has removed to the house of George Sluthour
(formerly occupied as a tavern by D. Hummel).
Benjamin and Jacob Ream advertise for
a quantity of muskrat skins, for which the highest
price will be given in cash. Mathias
Springer offers to make "ladies' and children's
shoes and bootees, of morocco leather, at a
reasonable price." Peter Cribbs " will
receive butter in payment of earthenware, at 7 cents
per pound, to be delivered at his dwelling in New
Philadelphia." Charles F. Espich
desires "dried gensing at 25 cents per pound, and 10
cents for undried, paid in store goods, or part cash
if required. It must be well washed, curls
taken out and trimmed." He also advertises tin
and stoneware. Samuel Lane notifies the
inhabitants of New Philadelphia and vicinity "that
he has commenced the tayloring business, in the
first house south of Mr. Smiley's tavern.
Persons wishing to have their clothes made according
to latest fashions can be suited agreeably to their
desires." Robert Sergeant states that
he "will receive butter at 6¼ cents per pound in
payment of salt, saddlery and earthenware.
Those who intend to furnish him with this article at
requested not to put it up in kegs."
In the Advocate for 1820, besides several of the
above advertisers, B. H. Warfield offers to
the public a general line of merchandise; Wright
Warner inserts a law card and Dr. Orange
Ranney announces himself as a practicing
physician. John Hall advertises the
tailoring business, and Joseph Landers and
Thomas Sergeant appear as tanners;
Charles F. Espich as a merchant.
The following curious but business-like notice, taken
from the Tuscarawas Chronicle, Aug. 18, 1821,
reveals the lamentable fact that the county seat in
its infancy was not, in all respects, a model
village. The righteous indignation expressed,
and threatened vengeance, it is hoped, crushed the
evil against which it was directed. The notice
was worded as follows:
LOOK OUT, SLANDERERS! It has been a practice
among some people in this town to slander their
neighbors, and create mischief among our citizens by
spreading and telling the most notorious falsehoods.
This custom has hitherto been confined to a few
women, a short time, others have joined their ranks,
whose standing in society was more respectable.
Men have been guilty of this crime, and have lent
their aid in spreading stories about their
neighbors, which they knew to be false.
Persons who say they heard, that such an one
has been guilty of such and such things, or such an
one said so and so, are perhaps themselves the
forgers of the falsehood. Taking this system
of slandering to be a great evil among our citizens,
we recommend that all persons, who tell tales about
their neighbors, be made to prove their truth,
which, if they cannot do, that their names be posted
up on the court house and published in the
newspapers, as BASE SLANDERERS, unworthy of
being taken into decent company. Those
women and men, who know from experience,
that this hint is directed to them, will do well to
bridle their tongues in time, or punishment
and shame will most assuredly overtake them.
MANY CITIZENS
.
NEW PHILADELPHIA, August 18, 1821.
The plat of New Philadelphia, as originally laid out
in 1804, and enlarged in 1805, was acknowledged by
the proprietor, John Knisely, before
Christian Deardorff, Associate Judge, May
22, 1813. It included 558 lots, most of them
sixty-six feet in width and 264 feet in depth.
Water, Front, High, Fair and Ray streets extend
north 80 degrees west. They are crossed at
right angles by East, Second, Third, Broadway,
Fifth, Sixth, West, Walnut, Mulberry and Chestnut
streets. High, Broadway and Front streets are
eighty-two and a half feet wide, Water street fifty
feet, all others sixty-six feet. The alleys
are each twenty-four feet nine inches in width.
The square at the intersection of Broadway and High,
thirteen rods each way, is donated for a court
house. The two squares at the intersections of
East and West streets, with High, are called Lower
Market and Upper Market respectively. The
following public donations are indicated on the
plat: Four lots, 361-4 inclusive, at the
northwest corner of Ray and Second streets, for
English religious societies; four lots, 273-6, at
the northwest corner of East and Fair streets, now
the cemetery lot, for German religious societies;
four lots, 397-400, at the northeast corner of West
and Ray streets, to the Moravian Society; Lot 253,
on Third street, for a German schoolhouse; Lot 244,
on Fifth street, for an English schoolhouse; Lot
203, on High street, for the public offices of the
county.
The first addition to New Philadelphia was made by
Benjamin W. Morris. It consisted of twelve
lots, south of the original plat and west of Plum
alley; was surveyed in September, 1844, and recorded
in May, 1845. East Addition, consisting of
thirteen in-lots and thirteen out-lots, at the
northeast corner of the town, was laid out in 1851
by George W. McIlvaine and Jesse D.
Elliott; eleven in-lots fronted on Beaver Dam
road and two on Fair street. In the same year
Levi Sargent made an addition of twelve lots
and two out-lots, south of Water street and west of
Fox alley. William F. Neely and
Joseph Welty, in 1853, made their North
Addition, consisting of twenty-two lots, located
mostly on North street, between Fifth and Broadway.
E. Janes' Addition, of three out-lots and
sixteen lots, twelve on East Front and four on an
extension of High street, now East avenue, was made
in 1857. "West Philadelphia" consisting of
fifty-one lots, located west of Chestnut and south
of High street, was laid out by C. H. Mitrchener
in 1867. Kate and T. H. Smith,
in 1868, laid out three building lots on East
avenue. In 1868, Sargent's Northern
Addition, consisting of thirty-five lots, between
Fifth and Sixth streets, was laid out. A.
T. Raiff's Addition of twelve lots, north of
Moravian alley and west of West street, was made in
1869. In the same year, John Kaserman
laid out his addition of twenty-two lots south of
East avenue. The addition of John Arn
and Jacob Nickles was made in 1870; it
consists of ten lots, located north of Moravian
alley and west of Walnut street. "West
avenue," adjoining New Philadelphia on the
southwest, and consisting of sixty-seven blocks, was
laid out in 1872. N. Montag's Addition
of nine lots on North West street was laid out the
same year. William Campbell, in 1882,
subdivided Lots 25, 26, 27 and 28. Eleven
building lots were, in 1883, laid out north of West
High street by Joseph Welty. Besides
the above, a number of out lots adjacent to New
Philadelphia have been platted and recorded.
New Philadelphia was incorporated by act of Legislature
passed Feb. 12, 1833. The first election for
officers was held on Monday, May 6, following.
Thirty-seven votes were polled, and the following
citizens were elected to office: B. M.
Atherton Mayor, or President, as it was then
called; Andrew Seaton, Recorder; John
Coventry, Treasurer; Samuel W. Kenrick,
Marshal; Francis D. Leonard, John W. Taylor,
Peter Cribbs, Sr., Thomas Sargeant and
David Baltzly, Town Council. The election
was held in the court house, and the officers
conducting it were Joseph Talbot and Henry
Stiffler, Judges; George M. McConnell,
Clerk. At the second annual election held May
5, 1834, forty-one votes were cast, and B. M.
Atherton was re-elected Mayor. He
continued in this office until 1838, and his
successors with the dates of their first election,
were the following: George N. Allen,
1839; Peter Williams, 1840; David English,
1841; Isaac Hartman, 1842; Benjamin W.
Morris, 1844; John J. Camp, 1846;
Thomas J. Sargent, 1848; John English,
1853; William M. McPherrin, 1854; O. P.
Taylor, 1855; W. L. Robb, 1858; Morgan
Butler, 1860; J. H. Barnhill, 1861;
Asbury Insley 1862; J. H. Collier 1864;
John N. Ferrell 1865; D. W. Stambaugh,
1866; Daniel Korns 1868; J. P. Chapin,
1872; Daniel Korns, 1874; T. C. Ferrell,
1876; William Campbell, 1880, present
incumbent.
Eagle Hall is a large brick structure, standing
on the southwest corner of High and Third streets,
and was built in 1871 by the Council of New
Philadelphia at a cost of $22,000. It
contains, on the first floor, the Mayor's office,
the fire department, and cells for the accommodation
of offenders against the peace and dignity of the
law; on the second floor is a spacious public hall,
which is now temporarily used as an office by the
County Recorder and Probate Judge.
The fire department first sprang into existence by the
organization of a fire company about 1856, of which
O. H. Hoover was Secretary, and William
Campbell, Treasurer. Several years later,
a hand engine, built at the old foundry of English,
Roby & Dixon, was purchased. It was
kept in an old building which stood on the court
house lot, and the company held its meetings in the
court house until the erection of Eagle Hall.
In 1872, a steam fire engine was purchased from the
Silsby Manufacturing Company, Seneca, N. Y., for
$5,000, which was used until 1883, when a new engine
was purchased from the same company. John
Orr was the first Chief Engineer of the company,
succeeded by William Campbell. Simon
Hansel now holds that position. The
department now consists of the hook and ladder
company and the engine company, each of which
alternately recommends the name of a member for the
position of Chief Engineer to the City Council,
which then appoints him for a term of two years.
A market house formerly occupied Lot 156, East High
street, the site of Well's drug store.
It was little used for its intended purpose.
The rooms above the market stalls were for many
years occupied by the village school.
SCHOOLS
Who taught the first school at New Philadelphia, who
attended and where the building stood cannot now be
ascertained. The first log, jail, built soon
after the county was organized, located on the court
house lot, was used for purposes of education
occasionally, when not needed to subserve the ends
of justice. George W. Canfield and
others taught here. A few years later, a
hewed-log schoolhouse was built on the west end of
the Getzman lot, No. 253, which fronts on
Third street, and was donated by John Knisely
for a German school lot. After this primitive
schoolhouse had served its purpose, the
START
ON PAGE 475
CHURCHES.
CEMETERY.
The New Philadelphia Cemtery, located on the north
side of Fair street, east of Second, is the only
burial ground that has ever existed in the village.
The four lots, 273 to 276 inclusive, situated at the
northwest corner of East and Fair streets, which
were donated by the proprietor of the town plat for
German religious societies, was the first depository
of the silent dead, and as the needs of additional
burying grounds arose, adjacent territory was
included, till the grounds now include ten acres.
They were surveyed in 1857 by Solomon Hoover,
and within the last eighteen years have been greatly
beautified. The first burial in the cemetery
is said to have been that of a man who was drowned
in Sandy Creek, and whose remains floated down the
river till caught in some driftwood near New
Philadelphia. John Judy, Sr., died in
1807, and was the second person buried in the
cemetery. Many fine marble shafts have been
erected within the grounds. The Everett
vault was the first erected. The
Hummell and Buell vaults, since built,
cost $3,000 each.
SECRET ORDERS.
[PORTRAIT OF JESSE WIN______K]
THE
PRESS.
The Tuscarawas Chronicle, now the
Advocate, was the first and for many........
MEDICAL.
BANKING.
INDUSTRIES.
[PORTRAIT OF DAVID GRAM]
HOTELS.
Taverns in early times performed an important
function in the growth of villages. A constant
stream of incoming settlers, who made their way to
the West by tedious, toilsome journeys, and of
prospectors for future homes, supplied them with an
abundance of guests. In those times, provision
was also made at the tavern for the traveler's
thirst, and at the bar liquors could always be
obtained. In 1820, their were as many taverns
in New Philadelphia as there are hotels to-day.
As mentioned on a previous page, the first tavern
was opened by George Leininger in earlier, at
the southwest corner of Front and Broadway.
The Gray House, which was the now dilapidated
structure standing on the southeast corner of Front
and Broadway, was used as a tavern stand for many
years. During the period of its prime, say
from 1836 to 1850, it was the leading tavern in the
village. The old Grimm House, on the
opposite side of Front street, was a well known and
popular resort for travelers for a long time.
The Lion House, which, however, often changed names,
occupied the site, has been used longer for hotel
purposes than any other in the village.
Henry Laffer was inn-keeper here in a log cabin
during the war of 1812; William Albert
succeeded, and for many years Albert's tavern
as well and widely known. The Albert's
built a large brick hotel, the first three-story
brick building in the village, on the site of the
old building, and it was occupied as a hotel by
different landlords until within two or three years,
since when it has been converted into business rooms
and offices. The dry goods store of Mathias
& McFarland occupies the corner room. The
Exchange Hotel, now in charge of the genial and
popular landlord, C. H. Harvey, is one
of the oldest brick structures in town, and it, too,
will soon be converted into other uses. The
Exchange was built by Dr. Johnson; after his
death, his widow married Dr. Benjamin Morris,
who continued the proprietorship for many years.
William Simeval came next into possession,
and he was succeeded by Thomas Moore, who
purchased the hotel and installed himself its
landlord in 1847, remaining four years. Many
proprietors have since conducted this hotel.
At present (September, 1883), two hotels are in process
of construction and another has been recently built.
In 1881, Ernest Schmidt erected on North
Broadway, just north of the court house, the
Schmidt (now the Sherman) House. He
remained its proprietor until January, 1883, when he
leased it to the Zeely Brothers, who are now
in charge. During the summer of 1883, Mr.
Schmidt sold the hotel to Edward Rosemond.
It is a handsome three-story brick, about
forty-two by ninety feet in size.
Harrison Kailis erecting, on the northeast
corner of Broadway and Front, the site of the
Grimm House, recently torn down, a large
three-story brick hotel.
On the south side of West High street, near the square,
C. H. Harvey is building the new Exchange,
which, when finished, will be one of the handsomest
hotel structures in this part of the State. It
is 56x163 feet in size, and three stories in height.
The following is a summary of the mercantile business of New
Philadelphia: Six dry goods and grocery
stores, nine groceries, four drug stores, three
clothing stores, four merchant tailoring
establishments, three jewelry stores, two music
stores, three hardware stores, six boot and shoe
stores, and three furniture stores. There are
also three millineries, three bakeries, three cigar
manufactories, three liveries and fourteen saloons.
[PORTRAIT OF PHILIP BLACK]
GOSHEN
TWP.
pg. 494
Goshen
Township in its name preserves a link
which connects it with the eventful occurrences in
the Tuscarawas Valley prior to the formation of the
State government. The beautiful spring, where
the patriarch Zeisberger first led his band
of peace-loving Indians in 1772, and founded the
flourishing mission which he named Schonbrunn, is
situated about two miles south of New Philadelphia,
on the east side of the river.
In 1777, after five years of
unparalleled prosperity, this village was abandoned
through the necessities of war, but two years later,
New Schonbrunn was built on the western bank of the
Tuscarawas, nearly opposite the beautiful spring and
about a quarter of a mile below Lockport. It
was destroyed by Williamson's party in 1782.
In 1798, Goshen Mission was established by
Zeisberger west of the river, about four miles
below New Philadelphia, on what is now Lot 39.
As mentioned in the chapter on Moravian Mission,
Goshen was occupied by the Indians until their
removal from the valley in 1824.
Schonbrunn Spring was deeded by the owner, John
Jacobs, to the Union Bible Society in 1872, and
the historic spot has since been inclosed by a
fence. A memorial stone was planted there by
C. H. Mitchener, W. C. Williamson, John Judy and
others.
Goshen was one of the four original townships into
which the County Commissioners divided Tuscarawas
County at their first meeting in the spring of 1808.
It was twenty miles in extent, east and west, and
seven and one-half north and south, comprising
Township 8 in Ranges 1, 2, 3 and 4, and the south
half of Township 9 in the same ranges, or all of the
present Goshen and Sugar Creek Townships, most of
Auburn, York and Dover, half of Fairfield, small
fractions of Warren and Union Townships, and of
Holmes County. The erection of Dover Township
in 1810 deprived it of most of this territory west
of the river. Fairfield, in 1817, took a
considerable corner from it, and lighter losses were
sustained in the subsequent formation of York,
Warren and Union. Goshen yet remains one of
the largest townships in the county. It
includes the Schonbrunn tract of 4,000 acres entire.
Exclusive of this tract, the southern and eastern
portions are composed of 100-acre military lots,
except several sections of congressional land in the
northeast corner. In the northwest portion is
a quarter of military land in the northeast corner.
In the northwest portion is a quarter of military
land in the northeast corner. In the northwest
portion is a quarter of military land and the
fractions of two other quarters. The first
quarter of Township 8, Range 2, containing 3,554
acres, was located by Godfrey Haga, according
to patent dated Mar. 28, 1800, and signed by John
Adams, President. Haga, through his
agent, John Heckewelder, sold the entire
quarter to John Knisely, Jan. 8, 1808, for
$3,776, and upon this tract Knisely laid out
the county seat.
Goshen Township contains
within its limits all the varied topographical
features found in the county. The Tuscarawas
River in the western portion presents a broad and
fertile valley. Beaver Dam Creek, by its
tortuous course, and its tributaries pierce the
hills in all directions, and help to soften their
ruggedness. The plains, or second bottom
lands, extend along both banks of the river, and
while the surface of the country generally was
covered with a heavy growth of timber, the vesture
of the plains was gaunt and sparse. A scrubby
growth of jack oak, in little clumps here and there,
comprised almost the entire vegetation. Owing
to this scant forest growth, the early settlers,
accustomed to the heavy timbers of Pennsylvania and
Maryland, regarded the soil of the plains as poor
and thin, and they usually preferred casting their
lot among the more densely wooded hills. The
prevailing types of timber were oak, poplar,
chestnut, beech, hickory and walnut. No better
soil for general agricultural purposes is found in
the county than that of Goshen Township.
Its mineral resources are equally rich and varied.
Nearly every hill in the township is underlaid with
valuable veins of bituminous coal. The mines
now chiefly worked are situated in the east and
southeast parts of the township, whence hundreds of
tons are daily mined and shipped by rail beyond the
county. Fire-clay is an important product.
A bank is extensively worked by Samuel Foltz
at the foot of Goshen Hill, several miles southeast
of New Philadelphia. Excellent quarries of
lime and sandstone are found and operated, affording
a superior material for building purposes.
John
Knisely emigrated from Bedford County, Penn., to
the site of New Philadelphia in 1804, and negotiated
with John Heckewelder for a quarter of land,
the deed for which, however, was not passed until
four years later. Returning to Pennsylvania,
Mr. Knisely brought his family to the wild
west country the following year and settled on a
farm just east of the county seat. His
children were Abraham, John, Samuel, David,
Joseph, Sarah (Minnich), Elizabeth (Casebeer), Mary
(Williams) and Susan (Stough), all of
whom were earnest and prominent pioneers.
John Knisely afterwards resided in the village
he had founded, and died in Dover Township in 1835,
at the residence of his son, John Knisely, Jr.
Among the resident land-owners of the present
Goshen Township who were here in 1809, besides the
Kniselys, were Henry Albright, John
Baltzly, Samuel Best, Christian and David
Casebeer, John Judy, Felix Landis, Philip Minnich,
George and David Stiffler, John Switzer,
Samuel Thomas. Henry Albright, a
Pennsylvanian, owned nearly 300 acres near New
Philadelphia. He lived there to an advanced
age. John Baltzly, hailing from Little
York, Penn., was the owner of Lots 7 and 9 in the
third quarter of Township 8, Range 1. He was
accidentally killed prior to 1820 by a falling tree.
His son Peter owned Lot 8, and died in this
township; of his other children, Daniel died
in Goshen, John in Sugar Creek Township,
Jacob in Holmes County. Samuel Best
was a hatter by trade, and had been a tavern-keeper
in Steubenville. He owned Lot 33, fourth
quarter, Township 8, Range 1, in the south east part
of the township, but becoming dissatisfied he
removed to Kentucky and was never afterward heard
from. The Casebeers were amongst the
earliest pioneers. David and Jacob,
who were brothers, emigrated from Pennsylvania
probably as early as 1805. David owned
the east half of Lot 32, about one and a half miles
east of New Philadelphia; was a shoe-maker, and
operated a tannery. He afterwards removed to
the county seat, built a tavern, and died there in
1846. Jacob was a forger of cow bells.
He owned Lot 11, three miles southeast of New
Philadelphia. He died in 18 65.
Christian Casebeer, from Washington County,
Penn., after pursuing a farmer's vocation for many
years in Goshen Township, removed to Indiana.
John Judy came to the county in 1803.
He was a native of Switzerland, and emigrated to
America about 1801, remaining in Lancaster County,
Pennsylvania, until his removal to Tuscarawas
County. He remained one winter at
Gnadenhutten. He purchased from John
Knisely 100 acres of land about a mile east of
New Philadelphia, where he engaged in farming.
He was a tailor, and fashioned clothes for the
Indians. Mr. Judy was a life-long
resident of Goshen Township from the date of his
entrance into it. Felix Landis, a
Virginia farmer, owned and occupied Lot 23, several
miles southeast of New Philadelphia. He was an
exemplary Dunkard, and passed his old age amidst the
near neighbor. Philip Minnich emigrated
from Bedford County, Penn., with his family, and
settled near New Philadelphia on a farm of several
hundred acres, where he lived till his death in
1824. The Stifflers came earlier from
the same county, probably in 1803 or 1804.
David settled two and a half miles east of New
Philadelphia, and died on the place. George
purchased a farm about a mile east of the county
seat, and there followed farming and blacksmithing.
Samuel Thomas, a Virginian and a
brother-in-law of Felix Landis, lived near
New Philadelphia. John Switzer, an aged
Swiss, came to the township about 1808.
Among other early residents of Goshen who arrived after
the county was organized and before 1820, were the
following: Jacob Albert, who was
originally form Washington County, Penn., emigrated
to Jefferson County, Ohio, and thence to this
county, settling in the northeast part of Goshen
Township, the southwest quarter of Section 9.
He brought with him a large family, and one son,
William Albert, was for many years a tavern
keeper at New Philadelphia. Jacob Albert
died prior to 1820. Michael Smith
entered and occupied a neighboring farm, the
northeast quarter of Section 12. Farther to
the west, on Beaver Dam, on parts of Lots 34 and 35,
was Christian Baughman, who came from Bedford
County, Penn., and remained a life-long citizen of
Goshen Township. Jacob Wallick also
settled on Beaver Dam, on a fraction of Lot 37.
He afterward removed to Van Wert County. On
Pike Run, in the fourth quarter of Township 8, Range
1, were Valentine Fleck and Jacob and
David Foreman. All were from
Pennsylvania, and remained life-long residents of
the township. Fleck owned Lot 36;
Jacob Foreman Lot 29, and his brother, David,
Lot 26. Philip Fackler, from
Pennsylvania, moved to near Lockport, in 1814.
Gotlieb Fackler was also a pioneer.
Other early settlers were Casper Engler, Moses
and Joseph Everett, Jacob and David
Fitch, Samuel Wilson, Henry Shatler, Joseph
Rhodes and Frederick Maish; the
last-named died in 1823; Gabriel Cryder came
to the county in 1808, settled in Dover Township,
and a few years later removed to Goshen Township,
about five miles southeast from New Philadelphia.
He owned Lots 2, 15, 16, and a fraction of 1, in the
third quarter of Township 8, Range 1. In 1823,
he removed to New Philadelphia.
The Indian mission at Goshen was
well known to the pioneers, and the association of
the whites with the converted red men did not always
redound to the spiritual welfare of the latter.
The Indians led an agricultural life to some extent,
but retained the hunting proclivities of their
former days and ranged the hills and valleys far and
near. They visited the early pioneers in every
part of the county and were usually welcomed, for
they seldom indulged in unseemly conduct.
Basket-making was the principal occupation of the
squaws. They often camped out along the creeks
near by, and while the Indian braves would hunt, the
squaws were industriously weaving baskets.
They soaked the trunks of black ash saplings in
water till they became thoroughly saturated, then
with mallets pounded them till the fibers separated
and formed their splints. With these they
fashioned neat and strong baskets, and sold or
traded them to the settlers. At Goshen is one
of the oldest burial grounds in the county.
Here the missionary Rev. Edwards was laid to
rest in 1801, and the venerable Zeisberger
seven years later. During the war of 1812 the
Goshen Indians were prohibited by the whites from
going outside the bounds of their village under
penalty of being held and treated as an enemy.
An occasional stealthy infraction of this
prohibition by a young Indian resulted sometimes in
frightening a child or woman who was unfortunate
enough to meet him. Rev. Abraham Luckenbach
was the missionary at Goshen in the fall of 1823,
when the mission was broken up and the Indians
removed to Canada. They were extremely loath
to leave the wildwood haunts of the valley, which
had become endeared to them by a long and pleasant
residence. Slowly and sadly they left their
homes, and traveled up the west banks of the river,
accompanied by their pastor. At New
Philadelphia they crossed the Tuscarawas, and
continued the journey by way of Sandyville to
Cleveland, where they embarked on a vessel for their
new home in Canada. Tom Lyons is said
to have been the only Indian who refused to go.
He lingered about for many years, the terror of
children and dread of women, for he boasted of
having in his possession the tongues of ninety-nine
white women, and wanted another to make an even
number.
Blake's Mills, usually
called Lockport, is a little
village of 300 people, located on the south side of
the Tuscarawas River, on the Ohio Canal, opposite
New Philadelphia. It was incorporated in the
spring of 1883, when the following officers were
elected: Simon J. Beck, Mayor; William E.
Beck, Clerk; Christian Coppersmith, Michael
Siebold, John Cramer, James McKnight and
David Niderhiser, Council; Simon Darst,
Treasurer; Edward Steinbaugh, Marshal.
The population is largely German. The village
contains one general store, two saloons, two
blacksmith shops, a harness shop, a wagon shop, two
butcher shops, an extensive lime kiln operated by
William McLean, a large grist mill, a brewery, a
paper mill, a graded school and a Methodist Church.
The paper mill was removed from Navarre, and built
south of the canal on Broadway in 1868, by the New
Philadelphia Paper Manufacturing Company. Two
years later, its location was removed to the river
side, where it was rebuilt at a cost of $25,000 by
Judy, Knisely & Co., a firm which still owns
it, and which consists of David Judy, George W.
McIlvaine, Oliver Knisely and George Welty,
the last of whom manages the mill. Fifty tons of
straw wrapping paper are produced here each month.
The grist mill was built in 1854 by Walter M. Blake.
He operated it until his death, and his
administrators sold the property to Richard
Johnson from whom the present owner, J. W.
Patterson, obtained it. The mill
originally contained three run of buhrs.
Mr. Patterson added a fourth; but, in the summer
of 1883, he adopted the roller process, and refitted
the mill with the necessary machinery. The
mill is situated on the canal, and is operated by
water power. Besides transacting a custom
business, the proprietor ships considerable flour to
the East.
The brewery was set in operation about twenty-five
years ago by Michael Berger, who, after a
time, sold it to Rudolph Kapitzky. From
him the present proprietors, Siebold &
Hockenbraugh, obtained possession. They
manufacture and keep in stock an immense amount of
the German's national beverage.
The village possesses an excellent two-story brick
schoolhouse, erected many years ago, where in a
graded school, composed of three rooms, is kept.
S. J. Beck is Principal, and has occupied
that position since the graded system was
inaugurated, except two terms, during which Mr.
Kinsey and George Welty respectively
conducted the schools.
The Methodist Episcopal Church is a neat frame
structure, which was erected during the summer and
autumn of 1870, and dedicated in February, 1871, by
Rev. J. F. Kennedy, of Delaware, Ohio.
The society was organized shortly before the
building of the church. Its membership is
small.
Lockport was laid out in 1829 by Frederick Shull
and Gottlieb Fackler, on the south side of
the Ohio Canal, immediately above Lock 13. The
original plat included sixty-nine lots. In
1830, the proprietors made an addition of forty
lots, 70-109, north of the canal. Its streets
were Jackson, North Canal, Adams, Clay and Ferry.
In 1833, the original plat was partially vacated and
re-surveyed, and Lots 110-121 were laid out on the
south side of the canal. The streets were
First, Second and Third, extending north and south,
and Canal street, running east and west. In
1872, Lots 75-87 inclusive, located on West Adams
street, were vacated. Blakesfield was laid out
in 1845 by Walter M. Blake, on land adjoining
Lockport on the east. It comprised forty-two
lots, all of which were located between the canal
and river. Broadway was the main street.
Twelve lots of Blakesfield 1-19 were situated west
of Broadway, and thirty lots east of it. South
Blakesfield was laid out in 1851, by Mr. Blake
south of the canal, and adjoining Lockport.
The lots, eighty-seven in number, were located on
both sides of Broadway. In 1868, Samuel
Howe made an addition to Blake's Mills
(Lockport), consisting of thirteen lots on the west
side of "Oldtown" street, or Broadway, and south of
and adjacent to the canal. In 1870, Jacob
Darst made an addition of twenty-six lots, south
of the canal and on the east side of Broadway.
Mr. Espich built the first house in Lockport.
Samuel Sedgwick was an early tavern keeper.
Conrad Rager owned and conducted the first
store. In 1855, Clark Robinson started
a mill to make oil from cannel-coal, but the
inexhaustible supplies of rock oil discovered soon
after in Pennsylvania made the enterprise a failure.
It was the canal that brought Lockport into
existence, and the village still smacks of its
origin. A dozen or more old boatmen reside
here, some of whom dwell during the winter in
houses, while others take up winter quarters in
their boats.
The most extensive coal mines in
the county are located in the southeast part of
Goshen Township on Pike Run.
At present two companies are operating mines here.
The Tuscarawas Valley Coal Company was incorporated
in 1873, after these mines had been worked about a
year, the stockholders being Cleveland men.
Its mines have been operated continuously since.
J. E. Waters, of Bridgeport, is the General
Superintendent of the mines. About 150 miners
and employes are engaged, and the daily yield of the
mines is about 300 tons. The Brock Hill Coal
Company was incorporated in 1881. J. M.
Shanks, of New Philadelphia, is its General
Superintendent. The capacity of its mines and
the number of its employes are equal to that of the
Tuscarawas Valley Company.
The operation of these mines has produced a mining town
of consideration size and importance, called Pike
Run. The only recorded lots of the place are
Kent's building lots, surveyed and platted in Ma_,
1881, by Oliver Young. They are located
on Lot 29, of the fourth quarter of Township 8,
Range 1, and number thirty-six, ranged in five
tiers, which are interested by two streets, Main and
Center. Pike Run has a population of 500 or
600. It contains three stores, a church and as
knights of Pythias lodge. The name of the post
office here is Barnhill.
The Pike Run Brethren Church was organized in the
spring of 1882, by Rev. George F. Deal, with
a membership of sixty-three. During the same
year a frame house of worship was erected on a lot
donated to the church by the coal company. The
building is about 36x48 in size, and cost $2,000.
It was dedicated by Dr. Z. Warner, of
Parkersburg. The membership of the society has
increased to 100, and Rev. Deal is still in
charge.
La Belle Lodge, No. 160, I. O. O. F., was instituted at
Pike Run May 16, 1883, with thirty-five members.
It was named in honor of Andrew Baggs of
Bridgeport, Ohio, one of the proprietors of the La
Belle Glass Works of that city, who donated to the
lodge two building lots. The first officers of
the lodge now serving, are John A. Kothe, P.
C.; C. F. Grinnell, C. C.; John W.
Richards, V. C.; John Hawkins, Prelate;
W. B. Davy, K. of R. and S.; John Smith,
M. of F.; Emanuel Hensel M. of E.;
Benjamin Browning M. at A.; John Page, I.
G.; George W. McIlvaine Roby, O. G. The
lodge erected a neat hall in the summer and
autumn of 1883.
Ontario Mills
was the designation given to sixteen lots laid out
by Robert Hanna in 1853 on Lots 26 and 27,
about a half mile north of the site of Pike Run.
The village did not prosper, and nothing now remains
of it.
An imposing
town plat of 300 lots was surveyed a few
years ago, midway between Dover and New
Philadelphia. It was called
Mooreville, but the dazzling attempt to rear
a rival City between these two places proved a
failure.
Beaver Dam United Brethren
Church has a present membership of fifty-two, and is
under the patronage of Rev. George F. Deal,
The house of worship in the southern part of Section
9, a half mile from the eastern line of the
township, was built about 1878. A Lutheran
congregation formerly flourished in this vicinity,
and was supplied by Rev. E. Greenwold.
About 1846, the Lutherans built a church on the site
of the present edifice. James Raridan,
Daniel Baltzly and Zachariah Garibrand
were then trustees. Removals and deaths
reduced the membership, and services were
discontinued. In 1857, the building was leased
for ten years to a United Brethren class, which had
just been formed under revival meetings held by
Rev. Leander Rinehart. Among the converted
were the Leathermans, wrights, Smiths and
Leightles. The church property was again
leased by the United Brethren Society, and its
members constructed the present building.|
The Bethlehem Methodist Episcopal Church is located in
the northeastern part of the township, on the
northeast quarter of Section 8. The lot upon
which it stands was donated by Mrs. Elizabeth
Simth. It is a small frame building, and
was erected in 1877, at a cost slightly exceeding
$1,200. The present membership is scarcely
above twenty. A Methodist class had been
organized in this vicinity many years prior to 1850,
and in that year a building known as the Rehobeth
Curch, was erected near the north line of Lot 2,
about a mile southwest of the present structure,
the land for the church being the donation of
Ransom Newton. Earlier meetings had been
held in vacant cabins, and among the early members
were Isaac Walters, Jacob Walters, John Everhart,
Solomon Minard, Mrs. Elizabeth Smith and
Frederick Rummell. This structure was used
until Bethlehem Church was built, under the
pastorate of Rev. J. H. Jackson. Its
subsequent pastors have been Revs. Michael
Williams, Amos Keeler and William M.
Dickerson.
In the southeast part of the township a Methodist
class was organized in 1853, in consequence of a
series of revival services conducted by Rev.
Alexander Scott. The following year,
during the ministry of Rev. Simon P. Wolf, a
frame church, 28x38 feet, was built on Lot 2, near
Pike Run, at an expense of $600. Occasional
services had previously been held in a neighboring
schoolhouse. The leading early members were
Henry Mosher and wife, John McCleland and
wife, Henry Bess and wife, C. C. Carroll
and wife, Mrs. Agnes Ellis, Mrs. Sarah
Coleman, James Watkins and
wife, Samuel Browning and wife, and
John Scott and wife. In 1882, a new church
was built on the site of the old, and dedicated in
February, 1883, by Rev. W. B. Watkins, of the
Pittsburgh Conference. It is a frame
structure, splendidly finished, with arched ceiling
and stained window-panes, and surmounted by bell and
belfry. Its cost was $3,500. The new
church is called the Plains Church; the old was
known as Sansom's Chapel. At present the
membership is about eighty. Plains Church
circuit includes, besides this charge, Bethlehem
Church in this township, Holmes in Warren, and
Rockford i Union.
In the southern part of the township, west of the
river, on Lot 34, stands the Goshen Methodist
Church, which was built about 1854, and is still
occupied by a small congregation. Anthony
Alderson and John Moore were early members.
In 1866, when the oil
excitement was at fever heat, and fortunes
were rapidly made in Pennsylvania, the Goshen Oil &
Coal Company was organized and incorporated at New
Philadelphia, with a capital stock of $20,000, for
the purpose of searching the depths of the
Tuscarawas Valley for this illuminator. Its
officers were Jesse D. Elliott, President;
James Moffit, Secretary; O. P. Taylor
Treasurer; Daniel Korns, W. C. Williamson,
S. O'Donnell and C. B. Harvey, Directors.
In Goshen Township, three miles above New
Philadelphia, a well was drilled 500 feet without
success, and some of the parties interested wished
to withdraw. The well, however, was sunk 400
feet deeper, and a stream gushed forth, which was
found on examination to be not oleaginous, but
strongly impregnated with salt. Works were at
once erected under the management of Jesse D.
Elliott, Judge James Moffit, Daniel Korns, W. C.
Williamson and O. P. Taylor, the
principal stockholders, and the evaporation of salt
commenced. The name was changed to the Goshen
Coal Oil & Salt Company, which, in 1871, disposed of
the property to Custer, Scott & Kennedy.
The present owners are John Custer, B. P. Scott
& John Scott. The yield of the works is
about seventy barrels of salt per day. The
discovery of salt in this well resulted in the
drilling and operation of two other wells in Dover
Township a year or two later. The product of
the three wells, outside of the slight local demand,
is sold through the Tuscarawas Valley Salt Company,
of which J. M. Custer is Agent, and B. P.
Scott, Secretary and Treasurer. The
company handles about 60,000 barrels of salt per
annum.
Not far remote from the present River Mills, near New
Philadelphia, was in early times the Baker Grist
Mill. It was built about 1820, did custom work
only, and survived but a few years.
The
citizens of Goshen Township who have been
elected to the office of Justice of the Peace, have
the following with a few others:
Abraham Knisely, 1808; Christian Espich,
1810, resigned 1811; Abraham Shane, 1811;
Abraham Knisely, 1811; John Blickensderfer 1818;
Samuel Lamberson, 1819; Wright
Warner, 1819; J. Blickensderfer, 1821;
Alexander McConnell, 1822; Abraham Knisely,
1822; Jacob Blickensderfer, 1824, removed
from the township during term; James Stough,
1825; Nathan McGrew, 1825; Andrew Seaton,
1827; Samuel Stough, 1`828; Abraham
Knisely, 1828; Andrew Seaton, 1830;
John W. Taylor 1831; Abraham Knisely,
1831; Jacob Kitch, 1833; John Butt,
1834; Andrew Seaton, 1834; Samuel
Sedgwick, 1835; John Butt, 1837;
Andrew Seaton, 1837; John Judy, Jr.,
1838; John Butt, 1840; Charles Korns,
1840; John Judy,1841; Robert Copeland,
1843; John Judy, 1844; Samuel Sedgwick,
1846; John B. Reed, 1846, resigned 1849;
Samuel Sedgwick, 1q849 George W. McIlvaine,
1849; Joshua Pepper, 1847; John Grimm,
1850, resigned 1852; Joseph Walton, 1852,
removed from township during term; Samuel
Sedgwick, 1852; George W. McIlvaine,
1852; Jacob C. Helmick, 1853; William
McPherrin, 1855, resigned 1855; Joseph Welty,
1855, resigned 1858; Alexander L. Neely,
1855; John Butt, 1856; William L. Robb,
1858; Alexander L. Neely, 1858; John Butt,
1859; John W. Morrow, 1861; John Grimm
1861; John Butt, 1862; Solomon Hoover,
1862; Daniel Christy, 1863; Bowers Seaton,
1864, resigned 1865; William L. Robb, 1865;
Solomon Hoover, 1865; Daniel Christy,
1866; William L. Robb, 1868; Solomon
Hoover, 1868, died 1870; Daniel Christy,
1869; Asbury Insley, 1870; William L. Robb,
1871; John W. Albaugh, 1872; Asbury
Insley 1873; John S. Graham, 1874;
William L. Robb, 1874; Asbury Insley,
1876; John S. Graham, 1877; William L.
Robb, 1877; Samuel Moore, 1880; Philip
S. Olmstead, 1879; John S. Graham, 1880;
Samuel Moore, 1880; Emery G. Dutton,
1881; P. S. Olmstead, 1882; Charles W.
Sweesey, 1883.
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